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Kelly’s Beautiful 5 Month Old Baby (Part 2)

Here are some more favorites from this shoot with this beautiful baby girl. I shared earlier some images of her in pink, and to contrast those these are all in neutrals. I just love this little girl, her big eyes, sweet smile, and her cute little chin. We got a lot of wonderful expressions during this shoot. And those looks combined with master lighting techniques to make her eyes and soft skin pop, has produced a portrait shoot that I can’t stop staring at.

I love this smile above, but I also love this serious expression below too. The serious look shows off her features like her cheeks, little chin, big eyes, and cute mouth.

In one photo shoot we were able to get quite a variety of looks and expressions, and even different outfits and sets. The pink images are captivating and beautiful, but these images in neutrals are wonderful in their own way too. It’s hard for me to pick a favorite. But I will admit to coming back and looking at this shoot again and again to see this cute face.

All of these neutral images framed in a series would look great in a nursery or hallway.

Babies change so fast and now is the best time to photograph them. And I love photographing babies. If you have a new baby and would like some wonderful and captivating portraits, give me a call at 801-728-3317. I’d love to create something special for you for the holidays.

And until next time, America.

Kelly’s Beautiful 5 Month Old Baby (Part 1)

I photographed this beautiful baby yesterday, and she’s so adorable and captivating that I have to post some early favorites. I was going to share these in about a week because I have other images queued up to share, but this pretty little face has been on my mind all day, so she’s bumping the other shoots back.

Throughout the shoot she was so happy and cute, and just smiled and smiled at me. Her little face and big round eyes kept me gazing.

She came with this beautiful little pink dress so I set up this all-pink background and some custom lighting to make everything pop. I got a lot of great images in both this pink setup as well as other color schemes. I’ll for sure share some of the others soon.

I love these first three images as squares either on the wall separately as canvases, or framed together in this smaller trio design.

Finally, this one of her kicking her feet and smiling with her tongue is great as a longer stand-alone image.

I love photographing babies, so if you’d like some fantastic portraits of your little baby, give me a call at 801-728-3317. I’d love to create something special for you for the holidays.

And until next time, America.

Amber’s Spring Engagement Shoot, Outdoor & Studio

I’ve been really excited to share the engagement shoot of these two. They are great together and make a wonderful couple. A few weeks ago in early spring we did this incredible shoot for their engagements. We did a mix of studio and outdoor portraits. And later I’ll have to share images from their wedding reception this weekend at the beautiful Jeremy Ranch Golf and Country Club because it was all just magical. But first, we need to see these from their engagement shoot.

This first photograph was one of the top favorites, and part of their wedding invitation design.

And this painting was finished as a canvas for their reception display, and will go above their fireplace in their home. 

I love these paintings. You really have to see them in person to see how wonderful they are. But here’s a shot of it displayed at their Utah wedding reception.

I love these outdoor photos. The gorgeous colors and dramatic sky really pop with master lighting techniques on location. And you can see how great these two are together. Their expressions say it all.

This next image with mixed lighting creating the dynamic shadow lines, was one of the top picks and part of the invitation design. 

And here are few more favorites from the studio, with a change of clothes and lighting styles for more variety.

This trio was one of my favorite things from the shoot. 

I hope you can see how great these two are together. I’m honored to have been a part of their wedding and wish them decades of future happiness together. And don’t worry, I will for sure post some of their wedding reception images too. You’ll want to see them, but I do have a bunch of other fun shoots that I want to share with you first.

In the meantime, if you’re getting married there is no better wedding investment than your photographs. Of all the things you spend on, well-made photographs are the only thing you keep after the wedding. So give me a call and let’s talk about creating your dream portraits, 801-728-3317.

And until next time, America.

LaRae’s Wedding Sneak Peek

I had the pleasure of photographing LaRae’s wedding. It was a beautiful spring day full of joy and romance, and we were lucky to be able to shoot some images outside. The wedding was held in Layton, Utah at the Chantilly Mansion, and all the vivid colors made for a wonderful background to work. LaRae wore a vintage fur that she had inherited from her grandmother, and it really set off her wedding dress. We really had a blast taking photos that day and I wanted you to see some before the album is ready to show.

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I can’t wait for you to see the entire album. But until then, enjoy these, visit my main website at BryCox.com to browse other wedding images, and give me a call if you’re getting married, 801-728-3317. I would love to photograph your wedding.

Until next time, America.

Abby’s Studio Shoot

I recently photographed Abby in my studio for my recent lighting video tutorials for photographers. Abby is a talented architectural and interior designer, and was at my studio because I was working on some interior images for her and designing un updated website for her business. (I think it would be a good idea to post about her business on my blog actually. I will do that!)

So I needed a studio model for my tutorial and talked her into doing a quick shoot when we were done. The shoot went great and the images look beautiful.

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As you can see, Abby is a great model. She’s beautiful and fun to shoot, and did well and showed a lot of personality in front of the camera. All of the images looked great, and it was hard to pick any favorites. I especially liked this series of three images below.

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These video tutorials were created because as I’ve taught and spoke around the country, I’ve found that most photographers admit to having personal difficulties when they light either inside or outside. One or the other seems to be harder, so this video series is to help give photographers a specific system that works everywhere. It shows that lighting inside is no different than lighting outside. The system shows that in all instances, you should light people specifically and beautifully, and always control exposure, lighting, and color balance. When done right, images straight out of the camera do not need retouching or correction. So if you want to spend time on the computer, it can be creative work and not corrective work.

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Though I may speak and shoot images all over the US, I’m a Utah based photographer and my studio is about 30 minutes outside of Salt Lake, out in the quiet country. Here I have both indoor and outdoor options. I have a half acre of trees where I can shoot outside, but also a beautiful studio inside. This means I can photograph people in a variety of locations without travel fees.

However, sometimes when people don’t want studio images. This is based on the awful images created in grocery store or mall studios, or even the 1990’s type studio images. But a studio used in the right way means getting some very modern images with some very specific and controlled lighting. It’s not uncommon for clients to come to me for some outdoor portraits but then choose the indoor studio images are their top favorites.

So if you need some awesome images, give me a call. Maybe you need a portrait for your website or business, or you would like some fashion images or some portfolio work, or just some updated family portraits. If so, give me a call. It’s a great time to get in for either an outdoor or indoor session. 801-728-3317.

And until next time, America.

Taylor’s Senior Portraits

I loved photographing Taylor for her senior portraits. She is gorgeous, and fun, and a joy to be around. She is also one of the state’s top runners and is an accomplished singer/song-writer too. All of this made for a great shoot full of awesome images.

In wanting to show off her portraits, I thought it’d be fun to share with you some of the double-page spreads from her custom 10×10 album that I’m finishing up for her.

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It starts off with a set of my signature textured pieces (above), then later in the album we have this gorgeous collage (below). All of these were created here in the studio, and for the collage below I wanted it to have the look of a magazine ad for Nike. BryCox_Taylor-sr_04 BryCox_Taylor-sr_05

We mixed in some gorgeous head shots lit with a fashion flare (above) with some album-cover style images (below) with her and her guitar.BryCox_Taylor-sr_06She has won so many medals that I really wanted to show them off. That was the inspiration for the set of images below, where I loaded her arms up with them as well as hung them and laid them in behind her. I love how these turned out.

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I made this double-page spread a trio because I loved how all three of these images worked together.BryCox_Taylor-sr_09Well there is a sampling of her shoot and album. Of course there are even more great images that would take too much time to share here.

Thank you Taylor for the awesome shoot and for coming in, and congrats on your running accomplishments and new college. I hope you win a lot of awards with them too and continue writing songs and playing guitar.

And if you’re a high school senior and you’re graduating soon, it’s not too late to get in and get some amazing photos. I am a Utah based photographer that photographs clients all along the Wasatch front including Provo, Salt Lake City, Bountiful, Kaysville, Layton, and Ogden areas. But I also do a fair amount of work out-of-state too. I have a beautiful studio in Davis County with the ability to shoot inside and outside, but can also travel to exotic locations. I would love to create some images that capture who you are and say something about your personality. Give me a call at 801-728-3317.

And until next time, America.

 

Marisa’s Engagement and Bridals

I recently photographed Marisa’s wedding and thought about posting her engagements and bridals here to celebrate her wedding day, but I didn’t want her fiancé Ben to accidentaly see the bridals before the ceremony. So I am now sharing these images and am excited for you all to see them. I’m starting with some of her bridal images. Because it was a cold fall day, we started inside in the warm studio to create these.

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Marisa looks so elegant and beautiful in these images. There were so many great images, it was hard to pick some favorites, but these were some of them.Cox_Marisa02 Cox_Marisa03

At one point, the rain seemed to stop so we hurried outside and shot a bit in the leaves. This dancing trio is a collection of some of our favorite images outside before the rain started up again.

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And here are some of Marisa and Ben’s engagements. We did a mix session with multiple studio backgrounds and lighting setups as well as some outdoor images as well in the studio gardens.Cox_Marisa05 Cox_Marisa06 Cox_Marisa07

These two were so fun to photograph and are such a great couple. We were laughing most of the time when we weren’t shooting. I think they look great together and I am excited that they found each other.

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I really love how these images turned out. They had a great variety of images and the display of images at the wedding reception looked amazing. Cox_Marisa10

And to close, here is a sneak peek of the wedding day. Though the album will take some time to design, this is one of my favorites from the day. I will for sure share their entire wedding album once it is ready.

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If you are getting married now is the time to give me a call and reserve your day as it is that time of year when brides are booking dates. Or feel free to just call me and ask any questions you may have. 801-728-3317

And until next time, America.

How I Created My New Christmas Card, A Self Group Portrait

My Christmas Card is out and in the mail. If you haven’t seen my past Christmas cards, for the last few years they’ve all been group portraits of me, but in the studio. My idea is that it’s a funny company group photo from my own Christmas party. My clients know that because of the custom work that I do, I personally see each job through from beginning to end, which also means that I wear a few different hats. The card is a growing joke, and each time I’ve done it a little better. But this time I really wanted to out-do myself!

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Clients, especially children that come in are always asking me how I shoot my group photos of myself, so I decided to share with you my process.

First I mapped out the entire shot, and decided on which images I’d need, where the various people would be positioned throughout the image. I needed depth, but didn’t want anyone in front of anyone else. I even have three people tied together with garland, all handing each other the same strand. It all has to look real and work. Each person had to be working together naturally, and that meant thinking about how the angles and lighting should be.

Once it was mapped out, I began photographing the pieces. I started with my studio/home. I needed to use open area of the front and didn’t want it covered with the cedar fence and line of trees in front. So I used a wide angle up close to get the entire home in the shot without the fence and trees you’d see from the street. This gives me the best angle on the place but causes bending on the vertical lines, that I will fix later.

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Next I photographed my folks’s tree in their home. My mom always puts together the best tree.Cox_Christmas2013-114

Then back at the studio I photographed each remaining part on my fashion gray background so that they could be extracted off the background easier. Extractions are not easy nor fast, but a solid gray background makes it easier at least.

To fit a large ladder in the studio on gray, I chose my smallest ladder, and doubled the size of the legs digitally, adjusting too for the perspective of the steps. I then photographed each version of myself, imagining where each would be positioned in the final image, but used the same step on the ladder to stand so that I’d fit in the studio shot.Cox_Christmas2013-groupEach photograph was fired with a remote that I am holding with one of my hands. For instance, in the shovel image, I’m holding the remote up against the shovel’s handle. Once I’m in position, I fire the shot. After each shot, I change clothes, set up the next image, and shoot again.

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After all the camera work, the digital work begins. I started with the individual versions of me, each extracted off the gray background and placed in the shot where they were mapped out. The ladder was also extended taller, being key to making sure all the other people were in the right spots and in proper perspective.

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Slowly the group began to grow, and the star was added in the hand on top.Cox-Christmas-2013-Card-Design-1c

Then I extracted the tree off the living room background and prepped it.

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The tree was brought in and more details were brought together.Cox-Christmas-2013-Card-Design-1d

 

Then to the background. I corrected the vertical lines, and the image was cropped to fit the final piece.Cox-Christmas-2013-Card-Design-1e

I then created snow from scratch and added it throughout, fading out the home as well for a misty look and to keep the background from being too busy and competing visually with the foreground.Cox-Christmas-2013-Card-Design-1f

The background was added to the crowd, and more details were added like sparkles on the Christmas tree’s lights.Cox-Christmas-2013-Card-Design-1g

Once the background was in, people needed to be moved slightly on the right side to work better with the background. Once they were in place, shadows were drawn in so that each person and object cast a shadow that matched the lighting from the sun behind. Each point of contact with the snow was then painted up close so as to “drop” everyone into the snow so they didn’t look like they were on top. That, along with the shadows, help give the final piece a more 3D look and not a flat, fake look. There’s much more I could do to make it look real, but a little of that fake look will help with the comedy effect.

The star was also given a nice sparkle. More snow was added around the edges to create a natural white vignette to keep the focus inside the image, and the tree’s trunk was finished as well.

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Finally, I used one of my custom edges to finish the piece, added the text, and the legend of who everyone is at the bottom. And the finishing touch as always, is adding my signature, in this case in the bottom left.

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So what’s your guess on how long it took to complete this project? All in all, it took about 23 hours including both the camera and digital designing time, and that doesn’t count working with the printer and mailing company to get it all out to each of you. Hopefully when it comes, it brings a smile to your face. If your address has changed, let me know so that I can update it for the next mailing I send out.

I hope all of you have a joyous season with family and loved ones. Merry Christmas!!

And until next time, America.

Ollie’s Outdoor Family Portraits

I love to photograph families, and this family was so great! Their kids were adorable and we became fast friends. In fact when I saw them again at the order appointment, they were super excited.

We started the session off outdoors in the studio gardens with some group portraits. Here are a few of my favorites.

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Then before attempting to photograph each little girl alone, we created some trios as each played with a parent.

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Then I focused on the oldest little girl. She totally hammed it up and helped me create this series. I couldn’t cut one image, so I created this collage.

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The smallest girl needed a change of scenery to revamp her smiles, so I set up in the studio and created these images of her for a matching collage.

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I love creating images that are a mixture of fun, emotional, and timeless. I want people to love and enjoy the images I create now as well as in 50 years. I am very pleased with this session and had a ball working with this tiny girls.

Now is the best time to get the ball rolling for some family portraits so that you can have them finished for Christmas. I can even create some wonderful Christmas cards with your family portrait as well. Give me a call and let’s find a day to create something beautiful for you! 801-728-3317.

Until next time, America.

Julie’s New Fun Portraits

I had the pleasure recently to photograph Julie. We did a mix session of both outdoor and indoor and here are my two of my favorites. This outdoor image was created at sunset on the edge of the cornfield next to my studio. We had to hurry as the sun was setting, but I loved how it turned out, especially with the leading lines from the rows and the depth in the lighting.

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And here’s a black and white from the studio – great eyes and great smile – and finished with one of my duo-tones.

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If you’d like some great new portraits, give me a call. Let’s get it done now before the Christmas rush. 801-728-3317.

Until next time, America.

Rachelle’s Bridals and First View Portraits

I am so glad to have been the photographer for Rachelle’s wedding events. She is so beautiful and full of life that her images just glow. This is her bridal shoot which also included some portraits with her groom, and so we started off the shoot as a first view – where the groom sees her in her gown for the first time. His reaction is golden!

I took the entire shoot and created this slideshow for their wedding reception, and thought it’d be fun to share it on my blog too.

And here are some of the images from the shoot.

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Bridal portraits are taken before the wedding so that images can be created for display at the wedding reception, and to create the type of images that you normally don’t have time for on a wedding day. Cox_RSnow_B-813-bwI love the lines framing the bride and the lighting shaping her and drawing you into where she is standing.

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And here is one from outside, using the blue sky and shadows to frame and create interest around the couple.Cox_RSnow_B-755

Rachelle is a dancer, so you’ll notice the dancing images of her in the video above. The entire shoot was a blast despite the sweltering heat that day. But it made for some beautiful blue skies and directional lighting.

If you are a new bride, give me a call. I’d love to work with you and create some fantastic photographs for you. 801-728-3317

And until next time, America.

Doug & Anna’s Family Portraits

Years ago I had the pleasure of photographing the wedding for one of my good friends. Just recently I was able to photograph his family and see how much his cute kids had grown. We shot everything here at the studio, outdoor in the studio gardens.

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These little girls were so fun and adorable. We took some time during the session to create individual portraits of each girl and some groupings of them together as well. One of those groupings I used to created this painting.

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While the painting may portray more of a feeling of being young together, this next grouping shows all their smiling faces.

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I also really liked this trio of all three girls.

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It was so fun to see these guys again and to create these family heirlooms. I really love to photograph families and kids and would love to photograph YOUR family. Now is a great time to get in. Give me a call at 801-728-3317.

And until next time, America.